Southern India Coast to Coast Ride

Those who are on the group flights will land in Chennai early in the morning. Those not on the group flights, we recommend you are at Chennai Airport in time to join the group transfer. If not, please be at the Pondicherry hotel for 1pm to meet the group.

From the airport, it’s a 3hr 30min drive to Pondicherry. Those on the group transfer take a break at Mahabalipuram, home to shore temples and rock carvings. Carving in stone is still a living art here and we see stonemasons chipping away along the roadside, practicing skills that have flourished for centuries.

On arrival in Pondicherry, we have a chance to freshen up and have lunch before we assemble the bikes and explore this former French colony on a 4mi (6km) ride to Promenade Beach. We return to our hotel to freshen up before dinner and an evening briefing about our cycling adventure.

We take a circular ride to Auroville, a new-age spiritual commune. Founded in 1968 by The Mother and named after her Guru Sri Aurobindo, it promises a more balanced way of living. Revitalised by some earthly fruit juices, we ride the 9mi (15km) back into town, seeing fishing communities and cycling along the promenade, which retains some Gallic charm. Depending on time, lunch may be at Auroville or in Pondicherry, and the rest of the day is free to explore.

Starting from our hotel, we either ride out of Pondicherry through bustling traffic, or we have the option to take a transfer out of Pondicherry to miss most traffic and get on our bikes on a quieter road just outside of the city. We soon leave the city bustle for quiet backroads, experiencing rural life where simple mud huts contrast with the brightly coloured saris worn by local women. In true Indian style, we stop at a roadside restaurant for a tea break, and a little later, stop for a lakeside picnic lunch. Back on our bikes, we cycle another 41mi (66km) to Chidambaram. If we have time this evening, we may visit the ancient Thillai Nataraja Temple, in the heart of the city.

Staying in the grand mansion of the village, we sleep in the extended family villa; with its own temple, it’s almost like stepping back in time.

We have a scenic morning ride following quiet roads and tracks alongside the Cauvery River to Thanjavur. A capital between the ninth and 13th centuries, it regained its status under the Nayaks in the 16th century who rebuilt the Royal Palace, Durbar Hall and libraries.

After lunch at a local couple’s home, in which we eat their home-made food, we take a vehicle transfer to the Thanjavur hotel. Late afternoon, we visit the palace, which houses one of the finest collections of bronze sculptures and stone carvings in southern India, and the vegetable market at Tanjore followed by a visit to the Brihadishwara Temple, one of the largest in India and known locally as the Big Temple.

Leaving the city by the old road, often greeting and meeting friendly local people, we head into the Tamil Nadu heartland, visiting the oldest clay horse temple en route, to an area renowned for impressive mansions built by wealthy traders known as chettiars. Some of these palatial houses have been converted into boutique hotels, offering a glimpse of the past. The grand interiors of Burmese teak and elaborate plasterwork retain much of the traditional architecture of a bygone age.

We have a scenic ride to Madurai, passing rice fields, often greeting the local people, and stopping for tea at a roadside cafe. En route, we pass a rocky outcrop that’s said to be the sacred abode of Lord Murugan, the son of Shiva and also known as Skanda, the most revered god in Tamil Nadu.

If we have time, we visit Sri Meenakshi Temple, one of the largest temple complexes in India and one of the highlights of Tamil Nadu. Here, thousands of huge stone pillars, each adorned with different deities, are said to represent the gods of the Hindu cosmos. A constant flow of worshipers, offering pujas (rituals performed by the temple priests to the various deities) add to the heady atmosphere of incense and camphor smoke, and make this an unforgettable experience of Hindu culture.

We have the morning to explore the old city, including Sri Meenakshi Temple if we didn’t visit yesterday, and a local vegetable market. We then leave the heat of Madurai for the cool air of the Cardamom Hills. We transfer by vehicle to our lunch stop at Theni.

After lunch, we are dropped at Cambam, from where we ride to Kumily. Hidden behind a banana plantation are the vineyards of southern India’s new venture into wine making. These give way to the forested slopes of the Western Ghats and a slow ascent through the rainforest to Thekkady, a small town close to the entrance of Periyar National Park and our accommodation for the next two nights. Reaching the peak of the climb and arriving in Kumily, we cross the invisible border into Kerala from Tamil Nadu.

Today is free to relax and explore Thekkady or, perhaps go on a guided nature walk or boat safari to the nearby Periyar National Park. Centred around a human-made reservoir, it is possible to see wildlife year-round, although the best time is the dry season (March-May) when elephants graze by the lake shore; if you are very lucky, you may even see a leopard or tiger coming down to quench their thirst. There is an optional dinner and cooking demonstration available this evening at a spice plantation home.

Please note, optional activities in Peryiar National Park must be pre-booked as early as possible due to limited availability. If you are interested in either or both the guided nature walk or the boat safari, please let your leader know within the first few days of your trip so he can secure your booking. More information and prices on optional activities are found in the Extra Expenses section of the Trip Notes.

Riding from the hotel, we cycle through cardamom and tea estates, stopping mid-morning for tea and to visit the tea factory in Vandiperiyar, learning more about the tea-making process. Refreshed, we continue along hilly tea plantation roads with plenty of short ascents and descents before we stop at a hilltop roadside cafe for a tea and snack break, which overlooks lofty peaks, tea plantations and the Sacred Heart Church Peermade.

We have a lunch break at a small roadside restaurant near Vagamon, overlooks the tea plantation hills and a small stream. The ride after lunch is through more hilly tea plantation roads, and you may spot tea pickers working in the plantations.

We end the ride with a superb winding descent on a quiet road and stay at an old plantation bungalow within the Western Ghats – a highlight for many.

Today we ride through rubber and spice plantations en route to Kottayam, known as the Syrian Christian heartland of Kerala. Here, grand churches dot the landscape and we break at Palai to visit St Thomas Church, its whitewashed facade and distinct gilded ceiling predates its Portuguese renovation. Roads converge into Kottayam, but we avoid the city by following country roads and stop for a lunch break at Erttumanoor town.

We have the morning to relax and enjoy the lake view. Alternatively, embark on an optional ride to the nearby Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary followed by a sightseeing ride along the lakeshore. This needs to be done early, after a quick breakfast to allow time to board our houseboats at midday for a stunning backwater cruise. The houseboats, converted rice barges, have a captain, cook and crew; we just sit back, sip long drinks and watch the world pass.

In the middle of the morning, we disembark at Muhamma. Riding along the backroad, we cross over to the coastal road to Arthingal Beach for our first view of the Arabian Sea and, finally, know we’ve cycled across India from coast to coast. We then ride to Fort Kochi for lunch.

After lunch, you may wish to visit the synagogue while in the area (please note, it is closed on Saturdays and open until 2pm on Fridays – 10am-6pm on other days). Built in 1568 for the Jewish members of Kochi’s trading communities, it is adorned with hand-painted tiles from China and elegant Belgian chandeliers, all donations from wealthy merchants. The area around the synagogue is also excellent for shopping and home to some of the last traditional lace makers, happy to demonstrate their skilled techniques and intricate designs for those interested.

We check in at the hotel after, with time to freshen up or take a dip in the pool before we can all have a farewell dinner together at a seafood restaurant overlooking the harbour.

We have a free day to explore Kochi, its bazaars and old harbour area at leisure. Warehouses filled with the smell of tea and spices are limewashed bright green, yellow and blue; rickety old bikes and hand-painted trucks piled high with goods fill the narrow streets; and food stalls stand on every corner. Further along the road, you’ll come to Mattancherry and the Dutch Palace. For food, try the fish market near the Chinese fishing nets, where you can buy the day’s catch and have it cooked to your taste. There are also plenty of shopping opportunities here or you can take the ferry to Ernakulam city or Vypin island.

The adventure ends today and we begin our return journeys home. Alternatively, if you’d like the adventure to continue, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay.